Currently, it is an avalanche of information on countries that want to invest in LGBT customer communication (acronym for Lesbians, Gays, Bisexuals and Transgender people). It must be recognized that the subject has been topical in Asia since Taiwan became the first country in Asia to legalize same-sex marriage. Other countries are also in the news…
Taipei is being rushed
Since the historic vote in Taiwan’s parliament, legalizing same-sex marriage, Taiwanese and foreign journalists have been on the lookout for newlyweds. However, it was not easy because, in 2017, Taiwanese conservatives mobilized to oppose any attempt at legalization. But the case suddenly gained momentum in May 2017, when the Taiwanese Constitutional Court declared that the Civil Code, which defines marriage between a man and a woman, was unconstitutional on the grounds that it discriminated against same-sex couples.
The court gave Parliament two years to adopt a law that would resolve the issue. Taiwan is now the first country in Asia to formalize the
gay marriage.
India has just repealed a law imposed during British colonization
A few months ago, India overturned a British-era law criminalizing « gay sex » in a landmark decision by the country’s Supreme Court. This decision triggered a debate on a colonial relic that the rest of Asia still has difficulty rejecting.
Same-sex relationships have existed for centuries
Indian legends enthusiastically describe sexually ambiguous relationships and individuals. Ancient accounts show that sexual relations of all kinds were well accepted centuries ago.
The sculptures engraved on the walls of the Khajuraho temple, built in the 12th century, explicitly describe couplings that use every conceivable sexual position, whether heterosexual, homosexual or bisexual.
Without going so far, India has long recognized, as a characteristic of its society, transgender people known as » hijra « .
Singapore wants to move forward in silence
Singapore prefers not to « shine the spotlight » on LGBT issues. The city-state referred to last year’s debate on the repeal of section 377A of the Criminal Code, which criminalizes sexual relations between persons of the same sex.
However, this legislation is not actively enforced. The government is currently in the process of revising the Penal Code.
But he would have found it easier to delete this text if the activists had not caught the attention of conservatives and religious groups.
A marriage that does not go unnoticed in Singapore
The grandson of Singapore’s founding father, Lee Kuan Yew, revealed that he had married his boyfriend in South Africa, provoking a wave of generally positive reactions in his country. Li Huanwu, the second son of Lee Hsien Yang (brother of the Prime Minister) came out of the closet publicly after he and his partner were featured on the « Out in Singapore » website last year.
Brazil sees its gay tourism increase
While (far-right) President Jair Bolsonaro recently stated that Brazil « cannot be a nation of the gay world, gay tourism« , a study conducted by the Brazilian Small Business Support Service (SEBRAE) reveals that LGBT people constitute one of the most important segments of potential economic income for tourism in the country.
According to the same study, published earlier this year, Brazil is the Latin American country with the highest potential for income growth in terms of gay tourism.
In 2017, the sector grew by about 11% in the country, while tourism as a whole reached only 3.5%.
Argentina is well ahead on LGBT issues
In Argentina, homosexuality has been legal since 1853, well before the United Kingdom in 1967 and the United States in 2003. It was also the first country in
Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator